Adventure OTS, 13 Night Snowbird Migration Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale Oct. 8, 2018

[Sweety 1,246]

I need a piece now. School was hectic today.

[Lovetocruise2002 7,888]

11 hours ago, Sweety said:

I need a piece now. School was hectic today.

I need a cruise...school was super hectic today.  Is it a full moon? Lol. The only thing that kept me sane was my "Keep calm and cruise on" sign on my desk 🙃

[twangster 17,530]

Day 4 - Ice Skating "Cool Art, Hot Ice!"

7pm and 9pm

I showed up outside Studio B to find the doors opened early and a packed house at 8:20pm.  I managed to find a single seat while it was standing room only not long after I arrived.

Very good show but I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Another 'don't miss' skating show.

[twangster 17,530]

Day 4 - 70s Party

Like other ships with a Promenade, Adventure has a 70s party.

[twangster 17,530]

Day 5 - Sydney, Nova Scotia  Sea Day

I woke to take in our arrival to Sydney.  Sunrise was supposed to occur at 7:11am although with the rain and overcast conditions it wasn't going to be a visible sunrise.  

All the upper decks were closed due to high winds but I found the sports deck was open.

I ventured towards the Windjammer for it's 6:30am opening.  Early I had some time to kill so I took some pictures of Giovanni's.

The Windjammer opened a few minutes early and I enjoyed a custom made omelet and some fruit.

The sky was beginning to brighten and I could see we were well off shore for a 7am arrival.  I sensed something amiss.  

I walked trough the Solarium and planned to take some pictures out a window since the upper deck was still closed.  The hot tub looked very enticing given the cool and wet conditions outdoors.

Those city lights barely visible on the horizon are the lower tip of Cape Breton.   

Our progress so far:

I checked the marinetraffic.com app and it confirmed my suspicions.

Sharp at 8am the Captain made an announcement. 

Winds up to 40mph at the pier.  Pier closed.  Port officials offered anchorage which didn't make sense. 

We gain a sea day and plan to keep our scheduled call into Halifax tomorrow.  As the remnants of Hurricane Michael approach us we are expecting 35-40 mph winds and 12' seas but with our slower speed towards Halifax the Captain predicts very little ship movement. 

At the moment there is very little movement.  Once in a while you feel a little side-to-side shimmy, much like a really smooth subway train ride or if riding in an airplane and you feel just a little bit of bumpy air. It's barely perceptible.  

[firebuck 351]

Just now, twangster said:

At the moment there is very little movement.  Once in a while you feel a little side-to-side shimmy, much like a really smooth subway train ride or if riding in an airplane and you feel just a little bit of bumpy air. It's barely perceptible.  

There's something nostalgic for me about that shimmy.  My first cruise ever was on Explorer, and she was down a stabilizer at the time.  The gentle rocking back and forth at dinner was off-putting for some, but I loved it.  Bedtime was even better as I was completely lulled to sleep by the motion while others were searching for the barf bags.

[WAAAYTOOO 6,465]

8 minutes ago, firebuck said:

There's something nostalgic for me about that shimmy.  My first cruise ever was on Explorer, and she was down a stabilizer at the time.  The gentle rocking back and forth at dinner was off-putting for some, but I loved it.  Bedtime was even better as I was completely lulled to sleep by the motion while others were searching for the barf bags.

That's how Dan and I feel as well.  We love the gentle rolling.  We had that all the way to Bermuda on Grandeur this week.  Coming back was surprisingly smooth.  The opposite is usually the case (rockier coming home, usually, as you are sailing into the wind).

[monctonguy 1,186]

They had wind warnings for Cape Breton last night..up to 100km gusts (60mph) so yeah, I am guessing its still a little windy this am. Looks like by the end of today we should get some clearing and some sun for tmrw and so hopefully it gets a little better for you weather-wise. I don't think you will miss much by not docking in Sydney to be honest.....but Halifax is a great city and I hope the weather co-operates there for you....so much to do and see downtown around the waterfront.

 

If your hungry you should defn check out a "donair"....Halifax is known for them....and if you want a place with some good pub food and live music(usually a blend of Irish, Celtic, Atlantic) sat afternoons (5:30-8:30pm as far as I know)..check out the Lower Deck..its on the wharf area right next to the Halifax Casino......if you have the time that is...just a cpl suggestions...

[GoodSmith 31]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

At the moment there is very little movement.  Once in a while you feel a little side-to-side shimmy, much like a really smooth subway train ride or if riding in an airplane and you feel just a little bit of bumpy air. It's barely perceptible.   

From my experience, I recall the rocking is much slower than a train ride or bumpy air. I used to get little seasick only during the first night/morning, but I get used to it quickly and the cruise feels great for the rest of the week. And yes sleeping is the best part of it! Best sleep ever!

[accio7 428]

Loving your live blog and photos, @twangster! Sorry to hear that your port of call, Sydney, was skipped, here's hoping for better weather in the days ahead.

FYI, Anne of Green Gables is MASSIVELY popular in Japan, just in case you were wondering why your menu was in Japanese LOL. 

[GoodSmith 31]

Would there be any change in activities and scheduled programs on the ship because of skipping Sydney?

[twangster 17,530]

6 minutes ago, GoodSmith said:

Would there be any change in activities and scheduled programs on the ship because of skipping Sydney?

I am sure the cruise director staff are very busy creating activities and planning them now.  Obviously the cruise compass was printed and delivered last night so it won't be updated.  I'm sure they will make PA announcements about activities soon.  

They've been through this before and they have a selection of things they can put together fairly quickly.  We are somewhat at a disadvantage because the pool deck is not something we can take advantage of but I'm sure they'll find things, perhaps a movie in the theater, trivia, bingo, etc...

[Jaymac Radio 816]

Was The Flowrider Open Or Was It Closed Due To Weather  

[twangster 17,530]

38 minutes ago, Twangster Fan said:

Was The Flowrider Open Or Was It Closed Due To Weather  

Not yet.  Strong winds, cool temps and rain make for a poor sports deck day.  

[GoodSmith 31]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

I am sure the cruise director staff are very busy creating activities and planning them now.  Obviously the cruise compass was printed and delivered last night so it won't be updated.  I'm sure they will make PA announcements about activities soon.  

I hope they update the app at least. I am curious to see the new plans.

[twangster 17,530]

Noon update from the Captain.   Not much has changed as we slowly poke along at around 10 knots.  Winds are expected to reach 40-45 mph max.   Stabilizers are extended.  Seas of 12-13' expected or up to 4m.  

We are hugging the Nova Scotia coast just far enough out I'm sure to be in international water.

If anyone has been on a bus driving down an interstate and walked back to use the restroom that is sort of like what it's like.   Not that bad at all.   

Not very good visibility but they aren't sounding the fog horn.   Perhaps when it gets dark they will.  

First beer of the day tasted very good.  It tasted like "more". 

A band is playing Caribbean music in the Promenade.   I suspect Windjammer seating will be scarce.   Time to find out.  

 

[twangster 17,530]

10 minutes ago, GoodSmith said:

I hope they update the app at least. I am curious to see the new plans.

3pm is showing as all aboard time so it doesn't look promising 🤣

[JLMoran 4,734]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Winds are expected to reach 40-45 mph max.   Stabilizers are extended.  Seas of 12-13' expected or up to 4m.

Definitely gentler than what Anthem got to experience earlier this morning. Marine forecast where she was due to sail was showing ~50-70 mph winds and 20-30 foot seas for the morning hours, that would gradually ease up as the day went by. 🤢

EDIT: Just saw that as of an hour ago she was hugging Cape Cod to avoid the worst of it and get back to NJ on time. MarineTraffic app shows her still slowly making her way around.

[twangster 17,530]

1 hour ago, GoodSmith said:

I hope they update the app at least. I am curious to see the new plans.

A revised Day 5 cruise compass was found outside my cabin door.

[GoodSmith 31]

The app was indeed updated, Day 5 is now marked as "At Sea" instead of Sydney. Not sure about the schedule, though.

[twangster 17,530]

I looked far and wide and the most dramatic TWC (The Weather Channel) moment I could find was this lounger that tried to liftoff at some point.

Most outer decks remain closed.  Pool deck is open as is the sports deck, but no one is up there.

With a small stagger to my step I figured I might as well have a pint to justify the stagger so I went to the pub.

I noted they put take-home bags for the dining room near the stairs.  They must be planning on feeding us well tonight.

While in the pub the ship became very smooth again.  I ventured out to fog and the fog horn protocol activated.

Since then, a few hours later, it's gotten even smoother and the fog has lifted quite a bit. Still raining lightly.   The sky is looking distinctly brighter.

Back to normal ocean conditions and smooth sailing.  i suspect what we sailed through isn't related to Michael and likely just the North Atlantic being the North Atlantic.

All in all the ship behaved very well and I didn't see any guests upset by the subtle rocking we experienced.

Off to dinner, top tier event at 7:15pm.  I suspect I better show up an hour early to get a seat.

[twangster 17,530]

Day 5 - Dinner

I decided to eat dinner in the MDR after looking at the menu.  MTD reservation set for 6pm off I went arriving at about 10 minutes before my 6pm reservation.

My section from a previous night full they put me in a new section.  While the wait staff were friendly and well suited for the job service was slow.  Possibly the slowest I've experienced in any MDR on any ship. A full twenty five minutes after being seated they came to take my order.  First course arrived after another 30 minutes.  To put that in perspective as a solo traveler I've frequently been out of the MDR in under 60 minutes.

French onion soup

Australian Bass

I was careful to ask if this was a fresh water Bass or a Sea Bass.  Sea Bass I was assured.  

For those that don't know I am not into super fishy tasting seafood.  What most restaurants pass off as SeaBass is often pretty mild and I've had it numerous times.  This was pretty fishy tasting.  I know it's good for you and I tried, but two bites in I was done.  

This is what I like about cruising.  Try something.  If you don't like it, order something else.  

On this night thought I was already an hour into the meal and I knew the Top Tier event would be a zoo.  I'll grab something later, dessert please!

Next up, Sugar free Cheesecake.

Gobbling that down off I went straight out of the deck 3 MDR into the line for Studio B and the Top Tier event. 

[GoodSmith 31]

I tried specialty restaurants once and couldn't get used to it. Dim lighting and small portions. Even MDR wasn't my thing. I try to be less formal on a cruise because that's the main point behind a vacation.
When I was on Adventure last year on my South Caribbean cruise, people used to takeout their Windjammer dinner and go sit on the deck to watch the movie while eating. I loved that experience , so relaxing 😄

[twangster 17,530]

The Top Tier event line was longer than it was for the ice skating show the night before.  Deck 3 cabins are to my back, the MDR to the right past the stairs and Studio B seemingly 3 1/2 miles to the left.  I've never seen a Top Tier event attended like this one.

A few minutes before the posted time they opened the door and we proceeded inside.

I always like when Top Tier is in Studio B because it means the skaters will do a quick routine for us.  Tonight was no exception. 

It starts with a fun skit with a couple in what appears to be a French restaurant with the girl tipsy with wine while her companion tries to keep her on the straight and narrow.  Pulling her back at times, spins, twirls and a bunch of skating routines I don't know the proper names for while she shrieks with 'drunken' joy.

Very well done.

Next up an individual skater doing some more amazing skating moves.

At one point she is skating backwards and does a full backflip.

Nailing the landing like she did the night before.

This is a very small sheet of ice.  It's no where near what we see in the competition skating or the Olympics.  Very well done.

Next the Senior officers are presented ending with the Captain who a does short speech.  I was a bit surprised when 25-30% off the people got up and walked out once they sensed his speech wrapping up.  Indeed this is a strange cruise.

The Captain offered there are over 10 million Crown and Anchor members now.

Time for Top Tier numbers.

Gold 685

Platinum 406

Emerald 225

Diamond 630

Diamond Plus 499

Pinnacle 78

That amounts to 1,838 Top Tier with 1,207 vying for Diamond Lounge access.  

Top cruiser 1,975 nights.

[twangster 17,530]

I went to the main theater but while the singer was good, it wasn't my era of music so I left from the back of theater standing room only area.  It was packed.

Seas have settled down quite a bit and checking the radar it seems what's left of Michael is straight off our port side several hundred miles away.  Seas were quite normal and what you might expect on any cruise.  It's hard to capture in the darkness but there is really nothing to show.

To the pub where once again I finished off the Kraken.  Where is @Matt when you need him?  (or his disappointed, rejected mug?)